Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship: Tommy Fleetwood And Aaron Rai Share Halfway Lead After Impressive Performances

Tommy Fleetwood and Aaron Rai are leading the 2025 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship after two days of play at Yas Links. Fleetwood, who shared the lead after the first round, started Friday with three consecutive birdies and finished with a score of 66. He made seven birdies in total, with his only bogey occurring on the 15th hole.

Fleetwood, a two-time winner of this event and current FedEx Cup champion, began the day tied for the lead with four others. Early starter Nacho Elvira briefly took the lead with three front-nine birdies. However, Fleetwood quickly regained his position by birdieing his first three holes to share the lead again.

Fleetwood moved ahead alone after a close-range birdie on the par-five seventh hole. He added another birdie on the 11th to reach 13 under par. His playing partner Shane Lowry matched him with a birdie on the 13th but then dropped back due to a double bogey on the next hole.

Aaron Rai, ranked World Number 30, joined Fleetwood at 14 under par after an impressive round. Rai shot a flawless 64, featuring an albatross and five birdies. The highlight was his second-hole albatross, where he holed out from 218 yards using a six iron.

The duo leads by two shots over Andy Sullivan, Nicolai Højgaard, and Richard Sterne. Shane Lowry is among those trailing by an additional stroke. Fleetwood found another birdie from ten feet at the 14th to extend his lead by two shots before a bogey on the 15th brought him back level with Rai.

Chasing Pack

Fleetwood's final birdie came from twelve feet on the next hole, resulting in him sharing the lead with Rai at day's end. The competition remains tight as they head into the weekend rounds.

The tournament continues to captivate fans as players vie for top positions in this prestigious event held in Abu Dhabi.

With inputs from WAM